Schumer: 8,600 homeless vets in upstate NY

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Sen. Charles Schumer says there are about 8,600 homeless military veterans in upstate New York.

The New York Democrat says that homelessness and mental health programs for veterans are starved for funding and aren’t able to handle the increasing number of new vets who end up on the streets. He’s calling for more money for those programs and for student loans to veterans.

Schumer says Wednesday service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are falling into homelessness more quickly after their returns than vets of previous wars. He says many are also suffering psychological trauma.

Federal data for 2008 show between 20 and 25 percent of homeless people in the U.S. are veterans.